The Scoop
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a DOGE-related executive order that’s aimed at giving the federal government more freedom to pick where its office spaces will be.
The new executive order rescinds two prior executive actions implemented under the Carter and Clinton administrations that required agencies to prioritize central business districts and historic districts as locations for federal properties, according to details shared first with Semafor.
Trump’s latest directive comes a day after the administration’s April 14 deadline for agencies to submit potential plans to move office space outside of the Washington, DC area. A number of states are lobbying to land various agencies, The Washington Post recently reported.
Know More
The Elon Musk-affiliated Department of Government Efficiency has focused in part on federal office space over the last few months as it seeks to make massive cuts across the government. Already a number of real estate leases have been cancelled — and hundreds of additional federal offices across the country are expected to close over the next few months.
In some cases, agencies are being asked to negotiate new leases or relocate to new, lower-cost locations.
Deferred maintenance liabilities on buildings across the country managed by the General Services Administration currently top $17 billion, according to the White House.
Already, some agencies have hinted at big changes in the works to their office locations: The Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to relocate outside of the DC metro area, according to Bloomberg News. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department is expected to dismantle its DC presence and relocate workers to various locations around the country.
Notable
- Internal GSA documents reported on by The Associated Press list dozens of government leases slated to end by June 30, with hundreds more to follow.